Darius stopped pretending he was in control.
He found excuses to see Amara—short drives, late dinners, quiet moments that felt stolen from a life he never chose. With her, the noise in his head softened.
"I don't want to be like my father," he told her one night.
Amara said nothing.
She only leaned into him, listening to the truth he didn't know was dangerous to share.
Because the more he trusted her, the heavier her secret became.